Once you have input all the required data (the instructions are within the excel file), the spreadsheet will suggest you the bonuses. This formula is not perfect so your bonuses might need further adjustaments to balance things on your map.
There're few things to keep in mind before using this tool:
- The spreadsheet often gives values that are too low for bonus zones that are in the middle of the map. If a map does have such a centrally-located bonus zone, then its natural value (the difficulty of gaining and holding the bonus) is often more than what the spreadsheet shows.
- When on your map you have linear bonuses, such as stations along a railway (with each station being adjacent to a non-railway region), instead of the spreadsheet, you can use an easily-remembered rule: +1 for each station.
- When on your map you have bonuses for holding all regions of a special type (that are not adjacent to each other, such as holding all capital cities), instead of the spreadsheet, you can give +1 for each region, then adding an extra +1 at the end. (e.g. +6 for holding all 5 capital cities).
The spreadsheet and the few notes here above, can help you to see, for example, whether a bonus will be ignored by most players because it's too low. However, they are all only guides and good maps can vary from the numbers given, especially if the mapmaker wants the play to develop in a certain direction.
